


A Town on Stilts and A Family Reunited

by gh03st_writer



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I've had this for so long, dwalin's adopted human daughter, say no more, what if dwalin had a human daughter, you ask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gh03st_writer/pseuds/gh03st_writer
Summary: Ruvana is the adopted daughter of Dwalin and is a member of Thorin Oakenshield's Company to reclaim Erebor. She is married to Bard and has three children, and they finally get to meet her Ada after the Company escapes Mirkwood.
Relationships: Bard the Bowman/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	A Town on Stilts and A Family Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this is in my folder on my laptop for actual years and finally decided to just post it. There are a few Dwarven words I used (I'll list the definitions) if I used them incorrectly, feel free to let me know and I'll fix it.   
> Definitions:   
> Ghivashel – treasure of all treasures  
> Mim razdith. – Little Sun  
> Uzfakuhrê - my greatest joys

Ruvana pulled herself from the water, exhausted and cold, assessing their situation and the status of the rest of the Company. She did a quick tally of all the Dwarves, and Hobbit, within eyesight. She remembered Killi’s injury and panic quickly started to set in, “Where’s Killi?!”

She whipped her head from side to side, trying to catch sight of the injured Dwarf as she rushed around the corner of the shore. The sight she was greeted with wasn’t one she was expecting: Killi laying on the ground holding his leg and her husband, Bard, with an arrow ready to shoot the next Dwarf that moved.

Ruvana rushed over to step between the Dwarves and her husband’s arrow, “Bard!”

Bard immediately lowered his bow as his face shifted from shock to apology, “I’m sorry, Love, but what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here,” Ruvana echoed his question, “I could ask you the same thing, what are you doing near Mirkwood?”

“I am collecting the barrels from the Elven King to bring them back to Laketown,” Bard defended himself, “Are these the Dwarves that asked you to help them on their quest?”

Ruvana nodded her head, “Yes, they are,” she stepped aside so that he could see the Company in its entirety, “Darling, this is the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, and we could certainly use a boat ride across the lake.”

Bard observed the soaking wet Company of Thorin Oakenshield with caution. Ruvana looked up at him with a smile on her face, she knew that he would never say no if it was her who asked. He sighed and started to walk towards his boat, “Very well, but I will have to smuggle you in as The Master has gotten very strict with visitors coming into Laketown, Human or otherwise.”

Ruvana thanked him and helped the Company on to the boat. As they set sail, Dwalin was the first to chime in and voice what the rest of the Company was thinking, “Ghivashel, how do you know this bowman?”

She nearly blushed in embarrassment, forgetting that she had never gotten the chance to introduce Bard to her father or vice-versa. Dwalin and the other Dwarves had always lived half a world away from Laketown, so when Ruvana married and had children, she was only ever able to introduce them through letters that she sent back and forth with her father. She cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, “Ada, promise me you won’t yell.”

Dwalin eyed her suspiciously as more of the Dwarves started to listen in on their conversation, “What haven’t you told me, Ruvana?”

She hated when he used her given name, it always meant that she was either in trouble or about to be, “Ada, you remember all those letters I sent you over the years after I moved to Laketown, about my marriage and my children?”

Dwalin nodded, his arms folded in front of him, “Aye, I do.” He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say next, but to say that he was less than prepared to hear it would be an understatement.

Ruvana glanced at Bard and then back to Dwalin, hesitating in her reply, “This bowman who is going to smuggle you into Laketown is named Bard, and he is my husband.”

“Husband,” Dwalin and the rest of The Company shouted as soon as the word left Ruvana’s mouth. She winced in embarrassment as thirteen voices of Dwarves all chimed in at once. Dwalin immediately stomped over to Bard, glaring daggers, “Bowman!”

Ruvana rushed to catch up with Dwalin, “Ada, don’t.”

Shock covered Bard’s face as his wife and one of the Dwarves she was travelling with rushed over to him. He looked to Ruvana for an explanation, “Did you just call him ‘Ada’?”

She opened her mouth to respond but Dwalin quickly spoke for her, “Aye, she did.”

Ruvana wished she had the ability to disappear as she watched her father meet her husband for the first time despite them being married for over a decade with three children, “Bard, this is my Ada, Dwalin son of Fundin.”

Bard wasn’t sure how to react, Ruvana had told him about her father and the truth about her childhood but he never imagined he would be smuggling the man into Laketown after finding him washed up on the riverside.

Dwalin maintained his intimidating stance in front of Bard, “I understand that you and my daughter have been married for many years now, but this is my first time meeting you outside of a letter, and let me tell you laddie,” he stepped closer to Bard, “If you ever hurt my Ghivashel or make her cry, you will have to answer to me.”

Ruvana was debating if it would be worth it to jump into the frozen lake as she watched her father try to intimidate her husband, “Ada, please, can’t you just shake hands with him instead of all this.”

Dwalin looked at Ruvana, “Ghivashel, this is the first time I’m meeting him and the two of you are already married with a family, so we will have to skip the pleasantries.”

Bard watched the interaction between Ruvana and Dwalin, unsure if he should speak or what he would even say. Dwalin turned his attention from Ruvana back to Bard, “So, laddie, have you anything to say?!”

Bard nearly jumped at Dwalin’s sudden words and, much to his relief, another Dwarf came up to help the situation and calm Dwalin, “Come now, Brother, I’m sure the bowman is a good husband for Ruvana, you have told me that in her letters she has mentioned several children and how happy she is to have found him.”

Dwalin huffed and nodded, “Aye.”

Balin smiled and started to lead Dwalin towards the rest of The Company, “Very well then, let’s enjoy the ride across the lake and relax while we have the ability to do so.”

Ruvana let out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding and mouthed ‘thank you’ to Balin. She looked at Bard apologetically, “I’m sorry, he can be very intense, especially when it comes to me.”

Bard smiled and would have laughed if he wasn’t still slightly taken aback from his interaction with Dwalin, “It’s alright, Love, I suppose I should have expected nothing less from the father of the woman who stole my heart and continues to steal it every day.”

Ruvana laughed and playfully slapped his chest, “Oh, stop, we have three children, you don’t have to sweet talk me anymore, you have me whether you want me or not.”

Bard smirked, “Ah, but I can’t risk losing you to another man that you may have seduced with your beauty while you were travelling.”

“Perhaps, but none of them could keep me from thinking about the bargeman I had waiting for me at home,” she replied playfully.

“So, there have been others,” his smirk widened, “What will I do with a wife that has been so unfaithful?”

Ruvana rolled her eyes and pulled him down to kiss her, “Shut up and kiss me already.”

Bard laughed and did as his wife instructed, kissing her with all the eagerness that can be expected from lovers that have been separated for months.

Dwalin loudly cleared his throat, in an obvious attempt to break them apart as Balin rolled his eyes at his brother and smiled at the two of them mentioning something about young love never aging. The two parted and Ruvana leveled her stare at Dwalin, “Ada, really, we’re married.”

He stared at her as if she should have known what his reaction would have been. She shook her head and walked towards The Company, asking what everyone was thinking, “Bard, how do you plan on smuggling thirteen Dwarves and a Hobbit into Laketown?”

Bard looked off into the distance as he spotted a small port not too far off, “Well, if I arrive in Laketown with barrels full of fish, there will be less questions than if I arrive with barrels full of Dwarves and a Hobbit.”

Ruvana did her best to stifle her laughter as The Company shared confused looks with each other. Ori was the first to pipe up, “He can’t be serious, can he?”

Bard was being extremely serious.

Ruvana did her best to hold back her laughter as she watched the barrels hiding The Company of Thorin Oakenshield be filled to the brim with freshly caught fish. She was already planning all the ways she was going to remind her father about this moment in time.

They reached Laketown soon after filling the barrels, much to The Company’s relief. Bard handed the Port Master documents showing proof of his ability to import goods into the town. The Port Master noticed Ruvana’s presence almost immediately, smiling, “Welcome back, miss!”

Ruvana returned his smile, “Good to be back.”

Before anything more could be said, Alfrid made his slimy presence visible when he noticed Bard’s full boat and the return of Ruvana. She clenched her jaw, doing her best not to insult the toad of a man on sight. Alfrid ripped the papers from the Port Master’s hands and looked them over, “Here it says you’d be bringin’ empty barrels, and barrels filled with fish aren’t exactly empty,” he stepped closer to the boat, “Are they, Bard?”

Ruvana rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips, “Alfrid, do you have nothing better to do than bother my husband as soon as he comes back to town after a long day of work?”

Alfrid turned his attention to her, smiling with a mouth full of rotting teeth, “Welcome back, Ruvana, not much has changed since you left, and that means that there is nothing better for me to do than stop any future trouble for The Master.”

She wanted to knock his teeth free from his jaw the minute he opened it. Bard got the signal from the Port Master that he was good to continue forward and happily did so, “Alfrid, go find someone else to bother.”

When the boat finally docked, Ruvana carefully tipped the barrels over one by one and let The Company of Thorin Oakenshield out of their fish filled hiding spots. After she finished emptying all of the barrels, she helped each member of The Company find their footing on solid ground.

Dwalin scowled as he exited the barrel and Ruvana helped him to his feet with a smirk on her face, “Not a word.”

Ruvana laughed, “My lips are sealed.”

Dwalin eyed her suspiciously as she smiled at him, already planning on the next time she would use the memory of this moment to tease him.

Bard took note of their surroundings as he started to usher the Company behind the rows of houses and market stalls that lined the town. Ruvana placed a kiss on his cheek as she started to make her way home taking a more direct path than the others, “I’ll see you at home, I’m anxious to see the children before you surprise them with a house full of guests.”

“They’ll certainly be more excited to see you than a pack of Dwarves,” Bard replied with a smile as he watched his wife rush off through the crowd of townspeople.

Ruvana waved and smiled to the townspeople that welcomed her back, happy to see their favorite seamstress has returned. She moved to Laketown after her heart was broken and she needed to see what her life could have been if her birth parents were still alive; a desire to be with people more like her and very different all at the same time. Her skill as a seamstress carried her well from town to town as she tried to find somewhere she could call home, somewhere for her to settle for a time. She never imagined that her travels would carry her half a world away from everything she knew, but she also never planned to fall in love. Life is funny that way.

The wood stairs to her home creaked as she rushed towards the front door. Ruvana welcomed the sound, something familiar that warmed her. She excitedly rushed through the door, the joy of finally being able to see her children rushing through her, “Sigrid, Bain, Tilda, I’m home!”

Tilda was the first to make an appearance as she rushed in the room, “Sigrid, Bain, Ma is home!”

Ruvana caught Tilda as the small girl ran up to her in a fit of giggles and laughter. Sigrid and Bain quickly appeared with smiles that could brighten the sky, “Ma!”

“Oh, I’ve missed you three more than the flowers miss the sun,” Ruvana gathered all three of her children in a tight embrace. The children smiled and laughed, echoing their mother’s sentiment threefold.

The four of them let go of each other as the children started to ask their mother questions about her travels. Question after question, they wanted to know everything from the moment she left home to the moment she walked in the door. Ruvana laughed and ushered the children further inside, “Alright, my Uzfakuhrê, I will tell you everything after you help me get the house ready for some guests we will be having.”

Ruvana got her home ready the best she could with warm blankets that she could spare. Bard walked in the door, looking slightly worried and a little worn out from sneaking Dwarves through the town. The children welcomed him home, Ruvana looked at him and knit her brows together, “There should be at least fourteen more bodies coming through that doorway.”

“About that,” Bard’s voice trailed off as Sigrid noticed something strange coming from their restroom.

“Ma, Da, why are there Dwarves coming from our toilet,” Sigrid asked,

Ruvana whipped her head in her eldest daughter’s direction, “There’s what coming from where?!”  
No sooner had Ruvana voiced her own shock had a Dwarf suddenly appeared from their toilet and walked into their home. She stared at Bard, disbelief starting to coat her face as she raised an eyebrow, “Really, Dear, the toilet?”

“I had to sneak them into the house some way,” Bard defended his case, it was no easy task sneaking Dwarves and a Hobbit through a town on stilts.

Ruvana sighed and headed towards the side of the house with their bedrooms, knowing that the Company would be both cold and soaking wet, “Sigrid, can you come help grab some of the old clothes you children have grown out of.”

Sigrid did as she was told and followed her mother to a chest filled with all the old clothes, “Ma, are these the guests you told us about?”

“That they are, Ghivashel,” Ruvana replied and smiled, “And there is someone among them that I’m excited for you children to meet.”

The two carried the pile of clothes back to the main room of the house and passed them out. Ruvana noticed the dissatisfied look on the faces of the Dwarves, “Don’t give me those faces, right now these are the closest thing you all are going to get to a dry change of clothes unless you want to stay wet and cold.”

The Company realized that she was right and went to change out of their cold clothes into warmer ones. Ruvana finished passing out the pile she had in her hands and moved towards the stove to prepare a warm meal.

She made a stew that would be both filling and chase away whatever cold was left from the lake water. As she was passing the stew out in mugs, she made sure to keep an eye on Kili. Many things have happened since they left Mirkwood, but she had not forgotten about his injury, “Kili, how is your leg?”

Kili smiled dimly and took the mug from her, “I’m okay, Ruvana.”

She scarcely believed him, knowing that his smile said more than his words, but she did not want to press any further. Dinner was enjoyed with conversation and tales of adventure that would keep the children’s imaginations running for months. Ruvana laughed and smiled brightly as Ori began to tell the story of how they were almost eaten by Trolls and Bilbo saved the day.

Bain looked between his mother and the Dwarves, surprise and awe written on his face, “Really, Ma, Cave Trolls?!”

Ruvana nodded her head, “Yes, mim razdith, and they were just as ugly and smelly as the stories, if not more.”

Bain laughed and continued to listen to Ori’s story. Dwalin smiled at Ruvana with nostalgia, sadness, and happiness all wrapped in one. He heard the Dwarven terms of endearment that she called her children and it warmed his heart to know that despite the distance between their homes, she had not forgotten where she has come from.

Ruvana noticed the look on her father’s face and matched his smile, knowing where his heart was.

Sigrid looked to her mother, noticing the silent conversation between her mother and the tattooed Dwarf, “Ma, you said there was someone you wanted to introduce us to, who is it?”

“Oh, Mahal, it slipped my mind,” Ruvana exclaimed and looked from Dwalin to her Children, “Uzfakuhrê, I would like to introduce you to my Ada and your Udad, Dwalin Fundinson.”

She directed the children’s attention to Dwalin and smiled brightly. Dwalin laughed and smiled, “It was about time, Ghivashel, I was wondering when you were gonna break the news.”

The children lit up immediately and cheered, rushing to hug Dwalin. Ruvana laughed whole heartedly, “They’ve heard stories, Ada, just needed to put a face to the name.”


End file.
